Plants have been used for therapeutic purposes against various human ailments for several centuries. Plant-derived natural compounds have been implemented in clinics against microbial diseases. Unfortunately, the emergence of antimicrobial resistance has significantly reduced the efficacy of existing standard antimicrobials. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared antimicrobial resistance as one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity. Therefore, it is the need of the hour to discover new antimicrobial agents against drug-resistant pathogens. In the present article, we have discussed the importance of plant metabolites in the context of their medicinal applications and elaborated on their mechanism of antimicrobial action against human pathogens. The WHO has categorized some drug-resistant bacteria and fungi as critical and high priority based on the need to develope new drugs, and we have considered the plant metabolites that target these bacteria and fungi. We have also emphasized the role of phytochemicals that target deadly viruses such as COVID-19, Ebola, and dengue. Additionally, we have also elaborated on the synergetic effect of plant-derived compounds with standard antimicrobials against clinically important microbes. Overall, this article provides an overview of the importance of considering phytogenous compounds in the development of antimicrobial compounds as therapeutic agents against drug-resistant microbes.

Cancer represents the second most deadly disease and one of the most important public health concerns worldwide. Surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and immune therapy are the major types of treatment strategies that have been implemented in cancer treatment. Unfortunately, these treatment options suffer from major limitations, such as drug-resistance and adverse effects, which may eventually result in disease recurrence. Many phytochemicals have been investigated for their antitumor efficacy in preclinical models and clinical studies to discover newer therapeutic agents with fewer adverse effects. Withaferin A, a natural bioactive molecule isolated from the Indian medicinal plant Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal, has been reported to impart anticancer activities against various cancer cell lines and preclinical cancer models by modulating the expression and activity of different oncogenic proteins. In this article, we have comprehensively discussed the biosynthesis of withaferin A as well as its antineoplastic activities and mode-of-action in in vitro and in vivo settings. We have also reviewed the effect of withaferin A on the expression of miRNAs, its combinational effect with other cytotoxic agents, withaferin A-based formulations, safety and toxicity profiles, and its clinical potential.

• ESKAPE pathogens display multidrug resistance (MDR) through various mechanisms. • Mechanisms adapted by ESKAPE pathogens to counteract antibiotics have been described. • Selected natural compounds with bactericidal effect towards ESKAPE pathogens have been listed.

STAT3 is a latent transcription factor that plays a vital role in the transmission of extracellular signal from receptors to the nucleus. It has been regarded as a master transcription factor due to its role in the regulation of a broad spectrum of genes, which can contribute to oncogenesis. Persistent activation of STAT3 and deregulation of its signaling has been observed in various human cancers including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). In the present work, we identified brusatol (BT) as a potential blocker of STAT3 signaling pathway in diverse HNSCC cells. The data from the cell-based experiments suggested that BT-induced cytotoxicity and abrogated the activation of STAT3 and that of upstream kinases such as JAK1, JAK2, and Src. It reduced the levels of nuclear STAT3 and its DNA binding ability. BT treatment increased annexin-V-positive cells, promoted procaspase-3 and PARP cleavage, and downregulated the mRNA and protein expression of diverse proteins (Bcl-2, Bcl-xl, survivin) in HNSCC cells. Taken together, brusatol can function as a promising inhibitor targeting STAT3 signaling pathway in HNSCC.

This work reports an eco-friendly synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using endophytic bacteria, Cytobacillus firmus isolated from the stem bark of Terminalia arjuna. The synthesis of AgNPs was confirmed by visual observation as a change in color of the bacterial solution impregnated with silver. Further, the morphology of the AgNPs, average size, and presence of elemental silver were characterized by UV–Visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and dynamic light scattering spectroscopy. The roles of endophytic secondary metabolites in the metal reduction, stabilization, and capping of silver nanoparticles were studied by qualitative FTIR spectral peaks. The antimicrobial ability of AgNPs was evaluated against Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria and pearl millet blast disease-causing fungi (Magnoporthe grisea). The biosynthesized AgNPs showed good antibacterial and antifungal activities. AgNPs effectively inhibited the bacterial growth in a dose-dependent manner and presented as good antifungal agents towards the growth of Magnoporthe grisea.